I haven’t even touched my nasty brew. I hand the cup and saucer to Ronnie and nod. I can’t take my eyes from Gabrielle’s face. “Yes. That will be nice. No sugar. Give us a few minutes.”
“Of course.” Ronnie heads off to the kitchen.
Gabrielle motions for me to follow her outside. She pulls the door to behind us and faces me.
“I know who you are,” she says.
I feel goose bumps on my arms. I believe her. Monique must have told her something, but what? I say nothing.
Tears start to well in her eyes. “Mom told me all about you. She said you were the one. You finished off the bastard that took my sister from us. I recognize you from the newspaper photo Mom kept. She was in awe of you, do you know that? She said your name is Rylee but you’d probably changed it.”
I can’t speak. No one is supposed to ever know all of that. I feel fear and anxiety and a little relief. Like popping a blister and letting all the bad stuff out.
“Don’t worry. I won’t say a word. You’re like a superhero to us.”
She hugs me and cries in earnest. “You’ll get him. My mom believed in you. She didn’t deserve to die. She was a great woman. She’d do anything to help anyone. She told me how you’d found Leanne’s killer. She told me Leanne wasn’t the only one that he’d killed. You gave her all the evidence the cops would need to clear all those murders and help their families.
“And then his brother came and threatened her that he’d kill me if she didn’t…” Her lips trembled, and I could tell she was fighting for composure. “It’s Michael Rader. I just know it. You find him. I know you’ll get justice for her.”
When she says this, she gives a smile that is both angry and full of hate. I wouldn’t want that smile turned on me. “I will,” I tell her, but we both know it won’t be justice I’ll be getting.
It will be something else entirely.
She wipes tears away with the back of her hand. Ronnie comes from the kitchen and into the living room. I take Gabrielle’s hand. “I’ll finish this,” I say. “I promise.” She nods and fakes a smile. A more relieved one this time. I know what it’s like to smile and hate at the same time.
We go back in and sit on the couch. Gabrielle says, “Please have a seat, Detective Marsh.”
Ronnie has been standing this whole time. Gabrielle called her Detective Marsh. I see a glint of pride in Ronnie’s eyes. “I made you another cup of chamomile, Mrs. Delmont.”
“Please, call me Gabrielle. Mom called me Gabby because that’s what I usually am. This has been a crazy day.” She takes the tea and I pick up my teacup. No sugar, just like I asked for.
“Gabrielle,” I say, “why was your mother in Port Townsend?”
“I can’t tell you that. I mean, I don’t know. I talked to her on Friday night. She told me she was in Port Townsend but she led me to believe she was on business for the advocacy group. She never said who it involved.”
“She called you this Friday night?” According to the coroner, she was killed on Saturday.
“Yes. I gave up my cell phone and bought one of those—what do you call them?—a paid one.”
“A burner?” Ronnie asks.
“That’s right. I only gave the number to my mother.”
Ronnie raises her hand. I am propelled back to a classroom.
“What is it?” I ask.
Ronnie puts her hand down. “I got the phone records sent to me while I was making tea. Mrs. Delmont’s phone hasn’t made or received any calls for three weeks.”
Gabrielle speaks up.
“That’s probably right. She called and gave me a new number. We’ve both been getting crank calls and I suppose she changed numbers to stop them. I got the burner. I haven’t had any calls since and turned my other phone off.”
“Ronnie, will you call Mindy and tell her to look for the cell phone again? Tell her that Monique used it Friday night to call her daughter.”
Ronnie goes outside to make the call.
“You didn’t find my mother’s phone?”
“Not where she was staying as far as I’ve been told. Do you know for sure she was in Port Townsend when she called you?”
“I heard a horn blaring in the background. I knew she was somewhere near a ferry landing. She told me she was